You've Probably Tried This Extremely Dangerous Diet

Maybe it was for that cruise you booked in 2002. Or when you bought that dress for a fancy gala and it was a little too tight when you tried it on the week before. Or you just wanted to do a raw cleanse to see how much weight you could drop in a week before your ten-year reunion because it was time to prove those bitchy girls wrong, all before returning to the good world of ribs and all other meaty, fatty goodness....and your original weight. Either way? If you've ever lost weight and regained it, then jumped on the rapid weight loss train only to gain it back again, you're a yo-yo dieter, and according to recent research presented to the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions, you could be putting yourself in an extremely dangerous position.

The researchers took a look at the weight histories of 158,063 women who were post-menopausal, classifying them into four categories based on their weights: Either they were at a stable weight, they steadily gained weight, they lost weight and maintained it, or they confessed to "weight cycling," the actual term for yo-yo dieting. They followed up with these women 11.4 years after first speaking to them and discovered some scary stats: Women who started out at normal weights — meaning, they weren't obese or overweight to begin with — but who yo-yo dieted were at three and a half times higher of a risk for sudden cardiac death then those women whose weights were stable throughout the years — and they had a 66 percent percent greater chance for dying from coronary heart disease.

The fact that these women were at normal weights is probably is the scariest part of the results, because to plenty of women, it might seem totally benign to want to drop 10 vanity pounds just for your wedding photos, only to gain it all back on your honeymoon.

The researchers found that overweight women who were guilty of yo-yo dieting didn't have a higher increase in those two types of death. Women who lost a lost a lot of weight or women who gained weight (but without the cycling part) weren't at higher risk, either.

It's important to note, though, that the study only looked at post-menopausal women, as lead author Somwail Rasla, M.D explained in a press release, not younger women.

Still, it's grounds for concern, especially considering how prevalent yo-yo dieting is. Just think about how frequently you see celebrities in vicious weight loss and gain cycles for roles!

"Weight cycling is an emerging global health concern associated with attempts of weight loss, but there have been inconsistent results about the health hazards for those who experience weight cycling behavior," Rasla said.

While it's unlikely that some women will shake their yo-yo dieting habits, hopefully, this research at least sheds light on the fact that sometimes, dieting isn't necessarily equal to being healthy. If you're looking to lose weight in a healthy, maintainable way, it's probably a better idea to adopt a healthier lifestyle by eating foods that are good for you and exercising than to subsist on lettuce, air, and your own sweat dripping down your face for a short while.

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